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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: clip · rash · wound · spell · wax · pit · suit · fall

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. spell — letters
  3. rash — hasty
  4. pit — a hole
  5. suit — in cards
  6. fall — the season
  7. suit — to fit
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. spell — magic
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. wound — an injury
  14. suit — clothes
  15. pit — in a race
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. fall — to drop
  18. clip — for paper
  19. rash — a series
  20. spell — a short time
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. clip — to cut
  23. fall — to drop
  24. wax — to grow

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com